Archive for the 'Shane Battier' Tag Under 'Lakers' Category

Mario Chalmers is every bit the player Lakers fans wished Smush Parker and Sasha Vujacic would be, and Chalmers was very much a contributor, not a passenger, in Miami's title drive.

The Lakers have a player who might fill that role in Andrew Goudelock, given the trust of Coach Mike Brown and his patience to live through the growing pains, not evident in the Lakers season just past. It's important to note the Heat somehow won while incorporating a rookie guard, Norris Cole, in its rotation from the outset.

Pau Gasol, with his outside game, should be just as much a threat from the elbow or the corner as Chris Bosh was against the Oklahoma City Thunder, where the Heat forward also made timely cuts for easy baskets. It's all a matter of floor spacing, long a Pat Riley staple that Erik Spoelstra learned, and communicated, so well.

Expanding on the latter point, no matter what offense the Lakers choose to run in 2012-13, I can't see any reason why Kobe Bryant, who can still command double teams at age 32, can't facilitate somewhat to the degree LeBron James did in Game 5. Kobe has the basketball IQ and passing ability; it's a matter of the proper spacing, and movement, by the still-talented cast around him.

Fast-forward to June, and we might be seeing Shane Battier trying to lock down Kobe Bryant with the NBA championship on the line.

Battier announced Thursday via Twitter he is signing with the Miami Heat to help LeBron James and Dwayne Wade's title chase. A renowned defender, Battier has more experience than James and even Wade in guarding Bryant, although Bryant said after drilling a game winner in Memphis in 2003 vs. Battier: "I torch Shane every time I play against him."

Battier did contribute to Bryant scoring 56 points in three quarters before that against the Grizzlies, but Battier has had his moment since then. He also was the subject of a Michael Lewis article in The New York Times, glorifying Battier as an intellectual defender -- and Lakers coach Phil Jackson made sure Bryant got a copy of the article.